What makes reindeer unusual among deer?

They have no antlers at any age

What happens to reindeer eyes during the dark Arctic winter?

They change from gold to deep blue

They close for months at a time

Which 1823 poem first named Santa's eight reindeer, including Dasher, Dancer and Prancer?

The Night Before the Winter Fair

Reindeer Quiz: Arctic Survivors and Santa's Helpers

This reindeer quiz explores the real animals of the Arctic and the legends around them, from caribou herds in North America and Sámi herders in Norway to antlers, color-changing eyes, Svalbard reindeer, Rudolph's creation at Montgomery Ward and the names in Clement Clarke Moore's poem.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Names
What are wild reindeer usually called in North America?
Antlers
What makes reindeer unusual among deer?
Eyes
What happens to reindeer eyes during the dark Arctic winter?
People
Which Indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia are famous for reindeer herding?
Rudolph
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 for which company?
Poems
Which 1823 poem first named Santa's eight reindeer, including Dasher, Dancer and Prancer?
Senses
Reindeer are one of the few mammals known to see which kind of light?
Sounds
What sound do reindeer knees make as they walk?
Food
What is the main winter food of reindeer?
Islands
The smallest reindeer subspecies lives on which Arctic archipelago?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: What are wild reindeer usually called in North America?
Answer: Caribou
Reindeer and caribou are the same species, Rangifer tarandus. Domesticated herds in Europe and Asia are usually called reindeer.
Q2: What makes reindeer unusual among deer?
Answer: Both males and females grow antlers
Males usually shed their antlers in late autumn, while many females keep theirs through winter. That has led to jokes that Santa's reindeer must be female.
Q3: What happens to reindeer eyes during the dark Arctic winter?
Answer: They change from gold to deep blue
The layer behind the retina changes color, helping the eyes gather more light during the long polar night.
Q4: Which Indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia are famous for reindeer herding?
Answer: The Sámi
Reindeer herding has been central to Sámi culture for centuries, providing food, clothing and transport.
Q5: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was created in 1939 for which company?
Answer: Montgomery Ward
Copywriter Robert L. May wrote the story for a store booklet. The song, recorded by Gene Autry in 1949, became a huge hit.
Q6: Which 1823 poem first named Santa's eight reindeer, including Dasher, Dancer and Prancer?
Answer: A Visit from St. Nicholas
The poem, often attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, is better known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Two names were originally Dunder and Blixem.
Q7: Reindeer are one of the few mammals known to see which kind of light?
Answer: Ultraviolet
Seeing ultraviolet light helps them spot lichens and predators such as wolves against the bright snow.
Q8: What sound do reindeer knees make as they walk?
Answer: A clicking sound
A tendon slipping over a bone in the foot makes the click. It may help herds stay together in blizzards.
Q9: What is the main winter food of reindeer?
Answer: Lichen
Reindeer dig through the snow with their hooves to reach lichen, sometimes called reindeer moss.
Q10: The smallest reindeer subspecies lives on which Arctic archipelago?
Answer: Svalbard
Svalbard reindeer have short legs and thick fur. They live on the Norwegian islands far north of the mainland.

Reindeer Quiz – Masters of the Arctic

Reindeer are best known as the animals that pull Santa's sleigh, but in real life they are remarkable survivors of some of the coldest places on Earth. They live across the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America, where winters are long, dark and freezing. Their bodies are perfectly adapted to these harsh conditions.

Thick, hollow hairs trap air and keep reindeer warm, and their noses warm the cold air before it reaches the lungs. Their hooves change with the seasons, becoming soft and spongy in summer and hard-edged in winter to grip ice. In the dark months, their eyes even change color from gold to blue to collect more light. Reindeer can also see ultraviolet light.

Reindeer are the only deer species in which both males and females grow antlers. In North America, wild reindeer are called caribou, and some herds make huge yearly migrations across the tundra. In northern Europe and Russia, people such as the Sámi have herded reindeer for centuries, relying on them for meat, milk, hides and transport.

Reindeer became part of Christmas legend thanks to the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, which named eight reindeer. In 1939, Robert L. May created Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for the Montgomery Ward department store, and the song recorded by Gene Autry made him famous. Today, reindeer remain symbols of winter and holiday magic.

This quiz covers the biology, culture and Christmas legends of reindeer.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is perfect for animal lovers, families and anyone in the holiday spirit.

The difference between reindeer and caribou
Why both male and female reindeer grow antlers
How reindeer survive the Arctic winter
The role of reindeer in Sámi culture
How Rudolph was created
Where Santa's reindeer names come from

Quick Facts About Reindeer

Reindeer are strong swimmers and can cross wide rivers during migration.
A newborn reindeer calf can stand within about an hour of birth.
Reindeer antlers grow remarkably fast during the summer months.
Some caribou herds travel thousands of kilometers each year.
Finland's Lapland has more reindeer than people in some areas.
Reindeer have been domesticated for at least a couple of thousand years.